Can anyone help me comparing Goldring DR150, Sennheiser HD518 and HD558, and Brainwavz HM5 in term soundstage (I want an open, airy sound), and timbre? Which one is with less plastic coloration on the sound? I don't mind laid-back sound, although generally I prefer neutral (not too front not too laid back) sound.

Goldring DR150 is about USD110, Sennheiser HD518 is USD 150 (yeah, Sennheiser is very pricey on my place), HD558 is about USD200 (again, Sennheiser is overpriced locally) and Brainwavz HM5 is about USD140.

Read about Goldrings from here and I'm worried about the plastic colored sound. The Senn is said better, but the price is just too high. Dunno about the HM5, but they are closed right? So I'm worried about the soundstage and if the sound isn't airy enough...

I listen to all kinds of music, except hip hop and rap :D ( guess I don't require too much bass? )

I have looked at ATH M50, B&W P5 and HD 25. I am not too fond of the looks of the HD25 and the long wire of M50 bugs me a little so it leaves me p5, i am hoping you guys can give me some suggestions on any other headphones I should look at.

Didn't M50 available on straight cable and coiled cable? Maybe you want to go with the coiled one...

The coiled one seems kinda heavy though and as its kinda elastic, when it stretches it bounces back. after reading quite a number of reviews, a lot of them opt for straight cable but they have to tie up the extra bits which is kinda bothersome for me. I think its more a headphone for home/ indoor purpose :/

Hey guys, I'm new to the forums, so don't kill me if I write something stupid. =)

I'm no audiophile (I don't think I even have the ear for it), but I do enjoy music a lot and am thinking of buying something a bit better than the10$ stuff, the thing is, my budget is pretty small.

I was thinking about the Shure SRH440, but I'd like to find out a bit more before hand. Thing is, I currently own an In-Ear set of AKGs who's model I never bothered to find out (I believe after two years they're on the verge of falling apart), I also own a Skullcandy GI something or other, which cracked about a month after I bought them (it?), don't know if it's my fault, or just crappy build quality, although the sound quality seems decent to me (Like I said, not an audiophile).

My question is, will the Shure be better? Considering the dislike of Skullcandy I've noticed while lurking and doing my research (not very successful, in all honesty), I'd expect them to have a big WOW factor compared to the Candy's.

I listen to a pretty large selection of genres but the main ones are Rock, Metal, DnB.

On an unrelated note, is there any sort of FAQ or Wiki that would explain the basics of what's what in the Audiophile world?

I have some OLD JVC on ear headphones which I bought about 20 years ago (JVC - HA-D550.) They have lasted me all this time. Really enjoy them, I don't know how good/bad their sound quality/stage is - nor do I remember why I bought these in particular back when I was in High school, but I do remember dropping nearly $100 for them back in the day. Anyone know anything about these headphones compared to some of the ones that are out and around now?

Here I am now looking to get a new set of headphones. Looking to spend around $125 or so. maybe a bit more.

After looking through the forums here (after reading about stuff over on overclock.net which brought me to head-fi)

I've determined that the DT770 is the headphones that are for me. Originally I was looking to get the A700 - I really enjoy a good THUMP in my base and it sounded as if even though the A700 has more base then the AD700 - it would still a bit on the thin side. Hence my leaning to the DT770.

Only issue is that DT770 new (on say amazon when it comes up) is a bit outside of my price range, and I totally have cold feat when it comes to buying headphones used... Given the fact that I'm using the same headphones for the past 20 years, I guess that would lead me to believe that - yes buying headphones second hand is not really risky at all.

So - any advice on how to pick a good set of used headphones? and/or a completely different model that would provide me with a strong bass as well as the sound stage across the spectrum which the DT 770 does? Musical tastes are all over the board - in order of percentage, jam bands, acoustic performances, electronica/techno, rock, classical/orchestral - essentially everything except for country/rap (and even a little bit of these);

NOTE: If I don't answer your question, it's not because I don't like you, it's because I don't know enough to give you a useful answer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesb

What deals thread, I cant seem to find it.

I've looked at retailers here in Canada and these sell for $300 or more. What kind of improvement would these be over the 555's, is it significant like 50% better, or would you say less than that?

If you're in Canada, the prices are bound to be a bit higher. However, you might be able to utilize a mail service or something like that to get the lower price. The deals thread is this one: http://www.head-fi.org/t/505970/the-deals-thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aglets

Been looking at a tonne of headphone reviews in a <$150 range, so far I've come up with the infinitely popular ATH-M50's, which are starting to seem like pure basshead headphones.The other I see is the AKG K240's, with a semi-open back and more focus on the mid's and treble with a larger soundstage. I really appreciate well defined mid's as vocals are truly important to me, so I doubt the M50's, with what seems to be a heavy V-shape, to be ideal for any rock music. I listen to alot of indie pop/rock, but also mix electronic and house and enjoy listening to a variety of other genres, but those are the emphasis in my library. I figure buying a FiiO E7 amp as recommended by another member and purchasing the AKG K240 for my rock/pop library, and later on down the road also purchasing the ATH-M50 for my bass and electronic library. Does this seem like a good setup?

The M50s are not really basshead cans. Sure they have a V-curve, but it's not that drastic, and the sound actually works quite well for rock music. Based on your genres, the M50s actually sound like they'd fit quite well. The bass is more punchy than boomy, so it won't interfere with the other frequencies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAudit

I'm nearly set with my headphone lineup (yeah, right!) with the Q701s sitting on my wish list waiting for the funding to pull the trigger. What I need first is a desktop amp suitable for driving the Q701 without breaking the bank. I already have SR60i's, M50's and V-80's.

Primary source would be my desktop PC. For the moment I'm using the X-Fi Go as the DAC, although running digital out to a spare A/V receiver is also an option (I have a 10 year old RCA A/V receiver I just removed from TV duty after finally convincing my mom to accept the HDTV I bought her).

Tubes or no tubes makes no difference. If I can get away with spending under $150, that's the goal. $200 if I absolutely have to.

On a budget, the Fiio E7/E9 combo is the perennial favorite, and you can get both for <$200, and the E9 alone for about $100 if you don't need the E7's DAC.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squa7ch

I've been thinking about upgrading my audio rig. I'm currently using either my uDAC-2 + AD700 or Xonar DX + AV40. I've been looking at the DT990 250 Ohm and the Denon D2K. I would also like to upgrade my DAC/AMP department as well. I've been curious about the E9 + E10 combo for the 990? I listen to a lot of progressive metal (if this will help http://www.last.fm/user/Squa7ch), mostly Dream Theater, Opeth, Between the Buried and Me, etc. I'd say the majority of my music library is some form of metal (tbh I think the last 20 or so CDs I've bought are all metal lol), don't need crazy bass, though but I would like for it to be there in the mix, hear/feel it or whatever you want to call (tight, punchy?) but not boomy/bloomy as I've heard it sometimes described on here before. Sorry for the rambling.

I've always heard that the Grado sound signature is very good for listening to metal. However, they are open, so if that's an issue they might not be the best choice. Also, did you mean the E7/E9 combo? You could theoretically do an E10/E9 combo as well, but it's less neat and seems a bit redundant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcbee

Anyone got suggestions?

Yeah, the long cable on the M50 makes it problematic for portable usage, and they look a bit silly as well. For portables, you could look into the V-moda M80s, Beyerdynamic DT1350s, or even the Phiaton MS300/400. The P5 makes an excellent all-around portable, though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyberus

Hey guys, I'm new to the forums, so don't kill me if I write something stupid. =)

I'm no audiophile (I don't think I even have the ear for it), but I do enjoy music a lot and am thinking of buying something a bit better than the10$ stuff, the thing is, my budget is pretty small.

I was thinking about the Shure SRH440, but I'd like to find out a bit more before hand. Thing is, I currently own an In-Ear set of AKGs who's model I never bothered to find out (I believe after two years they're on the verge of falling apart), I also own a Skullcandy GI something or other, which cracked about a month after I bought them (it?), don't know if it's my fault, or just crappy build quality, although the sound quality seems decent to me (Like I said, not an audiophile).

My question is, will the Shure be better? Considering the dislike of Skullcandy I've noticed while lurking and doing my research (not very successful, in all honesty), I'd expect them to have a big WOW factor compared to the Candy's.

I listen to a pretty large selection of genres but the main ones are Rock, Metal, DnB.

On an unrelated note, is there any sort of FAQ or Wiki that would explain the basics of what's what in the Audiophile world?

First off, what's your budget? That really helps to narrow down the suggestions we can give you. Also, in what conditions will you be using them? Just at home, or will you be using it out and about too?

Regarding the Shures versus the Skullcandies, you'll notice a difference if you listen to the detail retrieval they put out, as Skullcandies are generally muddy and cover up a lot of fine detail that the music has. Looking at your genres, it looks like you might appreciate a bit of bass emphasis for the DnB, but also a bit of treble energy for the metal. In that case, a slightly more v-shaped headphone like the M50 or HD25 might suit your purposes well, but to suggest more, a price range is needed. The SRH440s have a decent reputation though.

If you read enough on the forums, you'll eventually pick up the terminology, as a lot of it is pretty intuitive.

Does anyone have any suggestions on these? I listen to a lot of acoustic (piano/guitar) + vocal, classical, and the occasional dubstep. I plan on using them with a Fiio E10 that I'm gonna buy soon. Thanks!

I have owned sennheiser hd555s since 2007. Imo they are excellent headphones and very durable as sennheiser products usually always are. I am a gamer, counter strike source being my primary game and battlefield 3. I bought the 555s because of the reputation they have among gamers as well as being pretty good for music. I suddenly felt the need for new cans and stumbled across this website, I dont know how ive never seen it before. I am using an xfi fatal1ty soundcard So my question is what should i go with? I listen to the following bands most of the time if this will help. Tool Isis Meniscus Red Sparowes Watered Rosetta Alice in Chains Nine Inch Nails Bush Nile Rammstein The list goes on. Id probably be willing to spend 300 - 350. Unless you guys think i would benefit from an amp and modding my 555s. Thanks, very helpful site from what ive read. Sorry for typos on my DROID3

Just a question with the Denon d2000's. It looks like they meet the audio requirements I am looking for, but how comfortable are they? It doesn't look like they have any proper padding for the headband so I'm just wondering. Also how do they compare to the Seenheiser HD 598's? They are about $70 cheaper on amazon and they have proper headband padding. I am looking for headphones with create quality for acoustic instruments for music creation.

I wore my D2K's for 10 hours the first day I had them. For 5 of those hours I was at work assembling furniture. They are Very comfortable. The 598 are open headphones and the D2K are closed back which may be worth considering to you. The D2K's are also pretty easy to drive.